Alexander
by Andieke
Summary: He had left 3 years ago, trying to get away from it. But it followed him to PPTH and Chase has to make a decision. Bad summary, just read it.
1. Chapter 1

**My first House story so be nice. I first wanted to make it a one shot, but decided against it. I working on the second part right now, so might update today.**

**I have been watching the first season on DVD and this idea has been bugging me for a while. So I finally decided to write it down and put it here. Please let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I think you all know the drill. **

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Chase sat in the conference room with his ever present crossword puzzle. On the other side of the table Cameron and Foreman were working through some paper work. They were all waiting for House to enter and to inform them about the next case. The door opened and Chase didn't bother to look up. It was just House getting in, nothing special about that.

But the silence was going on quite long for it to be just House. And if it was House Cameron and Foreman wouldn't stare at the door. Chase slowly placed his pencil and puzzle down and turned around to see who had opened the door but decided against entering. When he had a full sight on the person his breath caught in his throat. It was like his past had just walked back into his life in the form of one person. She was as beautiful as he remembered her, but she was also the trigger of a lot of memories. And by the look on her face, he had triggered a lot of memories with her.  
'Hey' she was the one to break the silence.  
'Hey' was his reply. They kept looking at each other; to them it felt like no one else was there, just the two of them.  
'I flew over for a conference and I thought about giving you these.' She said as she held up papers. He couldn't see what was on it, but he already knew their contents. It had been three years; he might be too chicken to make the decision but she wasn't.  
'Ashley….' He said as he got up. He left his voice trail off because he had no idea what he would tell her.  
'Don't.' she said as she backed away from his touch. 'You have made your decision, I waited, but you're not coming back. I'll have to live with that.' She said and she handed him the papers. He took them, knowing there was no other way of dealing with it.  
'I'll be here 'till the end of the week. You can drop them off at my hotel.' She said.  
He just nodded.

'There is something else.' She said as she handed him a plain white envelope. The name on it once again caught his breath in his throat.  
'I don't know if you want to see them, but I thought, just in case you want them.' She said. Chase noticed that his hands were shaking as he accepted the envelope. He could decide later what he would do with it.  
'Should you want more, let me know' she said. Once again all he could do was nod. She smiled a weak smiled and walked way. He followed her with his eyes till she got out of sight. He kept standing for a little longer, not really know what to do.

'Chase?' Cameron's voice pierced the silence and made him turn around.  
'Who was that?' She asked.  
'That's Ashley.' He said, not wanting to reveal more. He said down and placed the papers and the envelope on the table. But luck would have it that the papers opened and revealed their contents to anyone in the room. The silence was even heavier then before when his two colleagues realised who Ashley actually was.  
'She's your wife?' Foreman asked, but it was more a statement that a question. Chase looked down; he didn't need the sympathy looks Cameron would throw at him. This was something not even sympathy could fix, nothing could fix this.  
'When did you …' Cameron didn't get any further. She just couldn't force the words out of her mouths. It seemed so unreal. In her mind she couldn't picture Chase to be actually married. She glanced down and yes there was a ring. How could she have missed that, it was just there in plain view all those years.  
'Six years ago.' Chase's reply kind of shocked her. Not because of the time frame, but that he actually told them something about his private life. He hardly told them anything about himself, so he actually telling them was some sort of miracle.

'Why are you here?' The question was a brute, but Cameron was thinking the same thing Foreman had. Ashley's accent had been similar to Chase's so that would make her Australian as well. So if they were married so what was he doing here?  
'Sometime things happen that drive you apart.' Chase replied.  
'Most people don't put an ocean between them.' Foreman said. That was true, but it had been the only way of dealing with it. Staying in Australia would have killed him. Everywhere he went in his native country, he would be reminded. Coming to America had helped him putting it to the back of his mind. But he never forgot, it was impossible to forget. And it still affected him. Seeing Ashley here showed him that no matter how much time passed by, it was something he would never forget. She showed him that he could carry it on his shoulder for the rest of his life, like she would as well.

'Who's Laura?' right, House had to pick this time to enter the room, but when he reached to get the envelope, Chase snatched it and held if close to his chest. He didn't want to tell them, not now. Actually he never wanted to tell them, but with House knowing about it forced him to tell them. Otherwise House would try every method to figure it out. House hated unsolved puzzles and right now Laura was one to him. He turned the envelope and opened it. He paused a little before pulling a couple of photographs out of it. Tears instantly welled up in his eyes. Laura, only a couple of months old on the picture lay on a fluffy white blanket with her parents surrounding here. Surrounded by Ashley and him. It was one taken just before the big ordeal happened; it was taken when they were still happy. It was taken at a time he could make Ashley happy and she could make him happy as well. They had everything they needed and Laura had completed their little world of happiness.

He wiped the tears away and looked up. Six eyes were looking at him; even House had the dignity not to mock him right now.  
'Laura is …' His voice cracked. 'Laura was my daughter.' He said and placed the picture on the table for the rest to see.  
'What happened?' House asked.  
'Alexander's disease.' Just saying it out loud allowed all the floodgates of memories to open. The hell, the pain Ashley and he had been going through came back. Bad memories out weighted the good ones. But that wasn't difficult. Laura had lived for 18 months, 12 of them spend in and out of hospitals, results always going downhill. There was hardly room for any good moments, everything was filled with hospitals, doctor's saying they were sorry, Ashley falling asleep crying, he joining her not much later. The last week had been hell. Laura had been admitted in a hurry. When the doctor entered the room, he didn't need to speak; they just knew what was going on. The doctors in them told them there was nothing they could do. It could happen at any moment, so they never left her side, too afraid it would happen when they were away. They slept in shifts, making sure there was always one parent awake. Laura lost her fight at noon. Her last action was grabbing his and Ashley's finger and a few seconds later she was gone.

They had stayed together for another 3 months, trying to build their lives back up. But they were retreating more and more. They were growing apart, more and more every day. They pretended to be okay to the rest of the world, but once behind the walls of their house the cover broke down. At one point he had made a decision, he would leave Australia to find himself again, to figure out what he wanted from life, but most to get away from the memories. Ashley had accepted it without any questions; she was planning on leaving as well. She moved to Perth, living everything behind. He came to New Jersey and both built up a new life. But it was a life built on lies.

'When …' Cameron started  
'Three years ago.' House said. Now they stared at him.  
'I guess you saying at you interview: I want to see the rest of the world, was actually you saying get me out of Australia.' House said. Chase nodded. A place on House his team had been the chance he had been hoping for. It gave him the chance to leave with an actual reason instead of just running away from his past.

Many questions remained unanswered when they all got paged. The case sucked them up for the next two days, trying everything they could to save the patient. In the end they did but everyone was so tired that they went straight home. The next day, Chase was the first one to arrive. The papers and envelope were still lying on the table and everything came back. He knew he had to take a decision but it wasn't easy. He stared at the papers, hoping he would figure it out.

That was how House found him when he came in, staring at the pile of papers. House sat down and watched his duckling; waiting for the moment he would realize he wasn't alone in the room. But Chase never did, he kept staring at the paper. 5 minutes later Cameron and Foreman entered but they found Chase still in the staring position and House watching him. More minutes passed and now everybody was watching Chase, wondering what he would do next.

Suddenly Chase came to live as he reached for a pen lying on the table. He pulled the cap of it and placed the paper so he could sign them. He was about to sign them when a cane pushed away his hands.  
'For better or worse, in sickness and in health.' Was the only thing the older man said. Chase glared at the man. He had taken these vows, promised Ashley that, but the minute things had gotten worse he had run. Well not straight away but Laura was what kept them together and when their little girl was gone, there was nothing holding them together. Both were too wrapped into their own grieving that they failed to notice the other. But that didn't mean he hadn't promised her those things during the ceremony on that sunny day.  
'House, let him be.' Foreman said. It was rather strange because it seemed something Cameron would say. Chase looked up and saw the woman nod in agreement with Foreman. He looked back at House, who was just looking at him. When he grabbed the pen again and wanted to sign them again, his hand was pushed away again, harder this time.  
'House!!' Cameron nearly yelled. She couldn't let this happen. She could only imagine what tragedy Chase had been through and he didn't need a boss being an ass.  
'What?' House asked, without looking away from Chase.  
'Let him be. He might have taken those vows but sometime things happen when you cannot live by them anymore.' Cameron said, annoyed that she had to state the obvious here. Losing a child was probably the worst thing a parent could ever face. And from the picture Laura had resembled both her parents, so Cameron could imagine the hurt they both had to feel when they saw each other, constantly remembering the little girl.  
'Let him be?? Any of your geniuses thought about what should happen next?' Cameron looked at her boss, not really getting what he was saying.  
'Wombat here has been running away since that day. And he's gonna keep running till someone stops him.' House said.  
'Maybe a divorce is what will stop him from running.' Foreman said. House looked at him, his eyes shooting daggers.

'Divorce is just another method of running away' Chase suddenly said. He had broken the eye contact with House a while ago and he had been looking at the ring at his finger. He couldn't remember Ashley still wearing here's but he thought she still did. In the end she had been waiting for 3 years for him before getting him these papers. He turned the ring a couple of times before the silence made him look up. Cameron and Foreman were looking like he had gone mad, but House was actually smiling.

'Go, you get the day off.' more didn't he need as he got up from his chair, took his coat and bag and left the hospital.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the review!!!! Sorry it took so long to get it ready, it's just I can't seem to make it work. That's why I cut this part short. I have rewritten it a few times, but it doesn't seem to click like the first part. I'm planning on another part, some closure, but I'm not sure when I'm gonna update that one.**

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It's one thing to say you're going to tell your wife that you don't want a divorce; it's another thing doing it. Arriving at the hotel she was staying, Chase was faced with the first problem. He had no idea what name Ashley used these days.  
'Hi, Can I help you?' The receptionist asked him as he stopped near the desk.  
'Hey, I'm here for Ashley Chase' He said.  
'And you are?' The woman asked.  
'I'm Robert Chase.' He said.  
'Right, Miss Chase told me you would be coming. She's staying in room 468. Shall I inform her you're coming?'  
'No, I want to surprise her.' He said and made his way over to the elevator. 

There he got faced with the second problem of the day. How do you tell someone you don't want a divorce? Some would say: just say it, but Chase felt like he had to do it with a bit more tact. But the elevator stopped way before he had the chance to come up with a good way of tackling this one. Ashley's hotel room door doomed up way sooner that he had anticipated but there was no way back. He knocked and hoped that he would find the right words on the right time.

'Robert?' He looked up when he heard his name.  
'Hey, can I come in?' no need to do this on the hall way. She opened the door and stepped aside so he could enter.  
'So what brings you here?' Ashley asked.  
'I, eum, I…' was the only thing that came out his mouth. Ashley just looked at him, she didn't look annoyed but then they had spend quite a lot of time together and she knew him and his behaviour. She just waited till he found the words.  
'I'm not going to sign the papers'. Right it wasn't the tact he was hoping for, but it just told what he wanted to say.  
'You're not?' There was something in Ashley's voice he couldn't place. It was no disappointment, but something else.  
'No. Since you brought them over I have been thinking.' He said. No reply came from the other side.  
'And I think it would be bad if we gave up like this.'  
'Give up?' Now he could detect some annoyance in her voice. 'You flew over the ocean not me.'  
'I know that and perhaps I shouldn't have done that, not alone at least. But I was thinking maybe we could try again.' Chase said. He was almost at his pleading voice; he was just a weakling on that point, almost going straight for the pleading part.  
'Try again?'  
'Or going on, what I want to say is: we have been apart for 3 years now. Perhaps we should try to get together again, see if we can work it out.' He said. She looked at him; he could see she was going over the options in her head. She hadn't start to yell or something, so that was a good thing.  
Suddenly she moved to the other side of the room and grabbed something from the mini bar.  
'You want some?' she asked as she held up a bottle of water. He nodded and she handed him one.

'You want to try again?' Ashley said after a silence.  
'Yes, I still love you, I never stopped to be honest and …' he started  
'I waited for three years just in case you came back, suppose it says a great deal about me.' Ashley said. He looked at her, not understanding what she meant.  
'In Perth people called me stupid for waiting for you. You weren't coming back, you still won't come back. I'm not stupid about that. Colleagues, friends said I was an idiot hoping for the impossible to happen. I fly over to the states for a conference, I decide to drop off the papers and here you are telling me you want to try again.'  
'What do you want to say?' Chase asked.  
'It's just, it's been three years and here you are. I'm sorry, but how can I know you're serious?' It cut right trough his heart. Ashley doubting his feelings, his actions.  
'The only thing I can tell you is that I'm serious.' He said.

It'll involve some moving on my part.' Ashley stated. 'Like I said, you're not coming back to Australia. I'm the only thing that still binds you to that country.'  
That was the biggest thing, it would indeed mean that Ashley would have to move to the States and he wasn't sure she was ready to leave everything behind like he had done. She still had some family over there and he wasn't sure she was ready to cut part of those strings to Australia. Laura was other part, they both reminded each other, but Laura was never far away from his thoughts, being in the States or Australia it wouldn't matter a thing. Losing a child isn't something you'll ever forget.  
'Maybe I should try it.' It caught him by surprise. She actually agreed to it, agreed to at least try it, just to see where they would end up.  
'You sure?' He asked. He closed the gap between them and put his arms around him. She was a tad shorted then him, making her have to look up to look him into his eyes.  
'Not really, but I have been waiting for three years for you. I think moving will not be that bad. But there is only one thing.' She said.  
'Yes?' he asked, he was ready to do anything.  
'You'll have to find me a job.' She smiled. 'I'm not coming over to become a housewife.'  
'Done' He smiled and took her closer in a hug.

The next morning Robert Chase found himself knocking on Dr's Cuddy's office door.  
'Come on in' he heard her yell.  
'Dr Chase, how can I help you?' Dr Cuddy asked when he entered.  
'I was kinda wondering if the hospital is hiring at the moment.' He asked.  
'Mm'  
'Ashley Chase is a …' He started.  
'Chase like in your surname?' Dr Cuddy asked.  
'Yes, she's my wife.' He said, it felt great calling her like that.  
'Chase, listen, I want to help but the hospital cannot hire everyone's wife or husband or any other part of the family.' Dr Cuddy said.  
'I know but I thought that we could use a neurosurgeon but if not I'll go looking somewhere else.' Chase said and he was almost planning on turning around.  
'Wait. A neurosurgeon. Are you sure?' That was a stupid question, of course he was sure!!  
'Forget what I said. Tell her to come over. We need another neurosurgeon.' Dr Cuddy said.  
'I'll, thanks' He said  
'No problem' was the answer.

Robert Chase made his way to the diagnostic room feeling rather happy. Okay things weren't perfect, Ashley and he would have to clear out quite a lot, but they were ready to at least try it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it took so long!!! I was just so busy with stuff and I just didn't find a good way to finish this story. I ended up with something I didn't plan for, but it kinda works :) Let me know what you think.**

**There will be some sort epilogue( I'm gonna write that in a minute)**

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Robert Chase was pacing up and down the living room. When he was going down for lunch this day he had passed Cuddy's office and Ashley was in there. He wanted to wait and ask her what it was about, but House had paged him and he hadn't had the time to ask her. When he was ready to go home, Ashley was in the middle of a complicated surgery and he didn't want to disturb her, so that was why he had decided to go home and wait for her.

It had been 3 months since Ashley had moved over to America, leaving everything behind in Australia. They had to move to a bigger place because Ashley refused to live in his little bachelor's place. And Ashley actually liked making the flat feel like home so she moved in tons of stuff and therefore they needed a bigger place. But anyway, she was working at PPTH and they seemed on the road back to happiness. But still he didn't know what she was doing at Cuddy's office. Ashley had taken leave of absence back in Australia, so there was also the possibility of going back. Sitting in Cuddy's office could mean she was giving up her position here and move back to Australia. Chase wasn't sure he would be able to deal with that. Of course sitting in the office could also mean Ashley was making her stay here permanent.

He sat down on the couch and forced himself to calm down. There was no point in getting worried sick unless he knew where he was worrying about. He let his eyes glance around the room. Ashley had brought a home feeling to the apartment, a feeling he had been lacking since coming over. He had fled Australia and never really made an effort of creating a home. She had showed what he had missed by running away and he was now planning on making a life again.

His eyes fell on the white photo album standing on the third shelf on the wall. The album held Laura's life from the moment she was born until she died. That was another thing Ashley had changed. She was helping coming to terms with what happened to him, to both of them. And it was one of the reasons why he wanted to stop running away. Only if he knew what she was discussing with Cuddy earlier today. It would make everything so much easier.

Chase was annoyed. He had fallen asleep on the couch last night. Apparently Ashley had woken him up to get to bed because that was where he woke up this morning. But by the time he woke up, she had already left. He had found a note on the kitchen table informing him that they had paged her, another operation. He couldn't hide a smile; he was married to a person who had even more cruel working hours. But he was annoyed because he still hadn't been able to ask her the question. Her note informed him she wanted to talk to him, but left no clue about what.

The day had already progressed past lunch time and he still hadn't had the time to catch up with her.

If it had been because they were actually curing people he wouldn't have been this annoyed. But the team was arguing with House. He didn't want to treat the patient anymore because they couldn't help him anymore.

'Listen, my ducklings, this patient file will go …' House said as he limped towards the trash can

'To my hands?' a fifth voice said. They all turned to the door and found Ashley standing there.

'Dr Chase, why would you need this file?' House asked.

'Because of today that's my patient.' She said as she held out the file and waited till House dropped it in her hand.

'Does that mean…'

'It means you have a second Chase to harass.' Ashley said. She walked over to Robert and whispered something in his ear. Then she made her way over to the door.

'Can I call you Ashley?' House asked.

'Just to avoid confusion.' He said as she turned to look at him.

'You know, Greg' she said as she walked over to him and came face to face 'you can call me wombat number 2'


	4. Epilogue

**So this is it. I really hoped you liked it!**

**I'm working another story, will upload it somewhere this week. ( Just to let you know and hope you'll read it :))**

**Let me know what you think!!!!**

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18 months later.

It was his turn to wake up, so that was why he was tiptoeing towards the nursery, the crying getting louder and louder. He left the door ajar allowing him to see enough without having to turn the light on.

'Here you go.' He said as he lifted his son from his cradle. He took a blanket and made his way over to the rocking chair. Soon enough the crying stopped and his son went back to sleep. But instead of putting him back in bed, Robert stayed in the chair, gazing around the room.

His eyes fell on the train with wooden letters spelling out his son's name. He knew people were talking behind their backs and somehow he couldn't help but blame them. It was a strange move, but they had both liked the name, even with the baggage it came with.

_Alexander._

They had named their son just like the disease that took away their first born. From an outside view that seemed crazy, actually close to insane, but they had insisted on it. Because the name had negative memories, negative thoughts, but in a strange way it was also a tribute to Laura. She wasn't here anymore, they would never get her back, but she was the reason why they were here right now. The positive and the negative were part of their lives and it would never change. It might seem strange, being constantly reminded of the disease that took away Laura, but it didn't matter. They thought about it every day, with or without Alexander. In everything they did, the memory of Laura was there.

But there was another reason why they had named him Alexander. It was a prove to them, a living reminder that not everything connected to the name Alexander was negative, that there was a positive side to life no matter what happened.


End file.
